MLB executive says Pena could be wily acquisition for Sox

If this man is right, and he has seen a lot of baseball, Red Sox fans could forever love the deal that brought Wily Mo Pena to Boston this week.

My scouting report on Pena comes from a MLB executive who has held every position from player to manager to positions in the front office. He starts by saying, “Pena has more power than anyone else the majors.” I wait, but there are no caveats.

“The jury is still out on whether [Pena] can learn all it takes to be a major league hitter, but the upside is enormous. This could be a Sammy Sosa kind of deal,” he says.

Pena was drafted when he was 16 and had played very little baseball up to that point. He is now 24 and has learned the game in the minors. He now must continue learning at the majors as he platoons with Trot Nixon in the Sox outfield.

“[Pena] will continue to see a lot of sliders outside and in the dirt. He swings at those and [has] strikeouts and until he stops, he’ll keep seeing them,” says my source.

What this baseball executive likes about the Sox deal is that it will bring Pena into daily contact with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Yes, he thinks even Manny can help.

“It’s about learning to relax at the plate, not hurrying. Manny approaches at-bats like that. Pena has to learn to be patient like Ortiz is. He will learn from being around them everyday,” says our expert.

He goes on to say, “If Pena learns from them he could hit 70 home runs a year. He has a chance to be a 20-million dollar player.”

One early good sign is that Ortiz is genuinely excited about Pena and he, too, is a believer in his power. The relationship between Pena and Ortiz has already begun and that can only be good for Pena’s hitting future.

For your information, this man I’m talking to about Pena is not verbose and certainly not gushing when he talks about ball players. To tell you the truth, I was so shocked at what he was saying, I tried to back him up with follow-up questions. He didn’t backup.

Best yet says our source, “[Pena] wants to learn. He wants to play.”

Pena will be no Gold Glove in the outfield, but “he is athletic, has a good arm and has speed,” says our executive.

Pena already has said he has no problem with the platoon idea. The Sox know that Nixon is prone to injury. They hope if that happens again, Pena will be capable of taking over. Meanwhile, the Sox get a big bat off the bench.

The baseball adage is that there is no difference between prospects and suspects. Pena might fit in that category, but maybe not.

He came to professional baseball because of raw power, but with too few at-bats at any level to know what he could do with it.

The power is still there, the at-bats are piling up and now he gets to be with a couple of players who could help him learn an approach at the plate that could have Sox fans chasing balls out onto the Mass Pike.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.